KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: The bodies of three climbers who went missing on the K2 winter ascent in February this year have been found, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement on Monday.
Muhammad Ali Sadpara, 45, of Pakistan, John Snorri, 47, of Iceland, and Juan Pablo Mohr, 33, of Chile, were last seen just 300 meters short of the summit of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, on February 5. It is believed the group reached the summit but encountered a problem on the way down.
“The dead bodies of Muhammad Ali Sadpara, John Snorri, Juan Pablo Mohr found near the bottleneck of K2 8611-M,” Karrar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, said in a statement. “It is very difficult to bring the dead bodies down from the high altitude. Army Aviation is helping in this regard.”
Snorri’s body will be moved to Iceland as requested by his wife, Haidri said. The mother and sister of Mohr had already decided to bring back the body to their country, he added.
Almost a month ago, Sajid Ali Sadpara, the son of Pakistan’s iconic high-altitude mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara, left Skardu, Gilgit Baltistan, to find the remains of his father who went missing while attempting to scale the world’s most dangerous peak in winter.
“Sajid was at camp 3, when the Nepalese Sherpa located the dead bodies. Upon the information, Sajid went to above camp 4,” Asghar Ali Porik, expedition organizer of the search mission and head of the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators, told Arab News on Monday.
“To bring the dead bodies from above the 8,000 meters is a tough job,” Porik said, adding that now the next task was to bring down the bodies as helicopter could not fly beyond 8,000 meters.
The three missing climbers were last seen by Sadpara’s son, 20-year-old Sajid, who had to turn around because of an oxygen supply malfunction. “My family and I have lost a kindhearted person and the Pakistani nation has lost a brave and great adventurous individual who was passionate about climbing,” Sajid had said earlier in the year.
The search operation for the three climbers included Pakistani military helicopters flying up and down the mountain, and an F-16 plane to photograph the ground to look for clues to where they might have taken shelter. Extremely low temperatures and gusting winds make it nearly impossible to survive on K2 for more than few days.
Bodies of Ali Sadpara, two mountaineers lost on K2 winter summit found
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Bodies of Ali Sadpara, two mountaineers lost on K2 winter summit found
- Sadpara, Snorri and Mohr were last seen just 300 metres short of the summit of K2, world’s second-highest mountain
- It is believed the group reached the summit but encountered a problem on the way down
Pakistan’s defense chief accuses ‘Indian-sponsored proxies’ of fueling violence in Balochistan
- Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir speaks to participants of 18th National Workshop on Balochistan
- Warns violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity will be met with a “firm and decisive response”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces (CFD) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday blamed militant groups allegedly sponsored by India for fueling violence and disrupting development in the province, warning the military will foil their designs.
Munir was speaking to participants of the 18th National Workshop on Balochistan (NWB) at the General Headquarters of the military in Rawalpindi. The NWB features discussions on Pakistan’s policies on security, development and other challenges related to Balochistan by officials, leaders and citizens.
Pakistan accuses India of sponsoring militant groups in its southwestern Balochistan province, who demand independence from Islamabad. India rejects the allegations. These ethnic Baloch militant groups accuse Pakistan’s government and military of denying locals a share in the province’s mineral wealth, charges that both deny.
“Highlighting the security challenges, the COAS & CDF remarked that Indian-sponsored proxies continue to propagate violence and disrupt development in Balochistan,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement.
“He reaffirmed that such inimical designs will be thwarted through stern actions by security forces to rid the province of terrorism and unrest.”
The Pakistani army chief lauded the federal and provincial governments’ initiatives for Balochistan’s development, underscoring a people-centric approach to unlock the province’s “vast economic potential.”
Munir appreciated the civil society for its constructive role in debunking propaganda, the military’s media wing said.
“He stressed the importance of rejecting vested political agendas to ensure that Balochistan’s future is shaped by long-term prosperity for all its residents,” the ISPR said.
The CDF reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace but stressed that any violation of the country’s territorial integrity will be met with a decisive response.
Pakistan suffered a surge in militant attacks in its northwestern and Balochistan provinces this year. As per the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) think tank, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose by 73 percent to 3,387, compared with 1,950 in 2024.
These deaths included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees (combatants), the think tank said in a press release.
“PICSS noted that most violence remained concentrated in Pashtun-majority districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the tribal districts (erstwhile FATA), and in Balochistan,” the think tank said in its report on Sunday.
Islamabad also accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants who launch attacks on Pakistan soil. Kabul rejects these allegations and says it cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s security lapses.
